Leading the way towards Autonomous factories
Organisations have moved from talk to action, and today, advanced-manufacturing technology takes the centre stand, boosted by the maturing of the data-driven experience.
The mass customisation narrative, for example - a digital experience through the back-end of processing and logistics, enables you to design a piece of clothing and have it delivered maximum within four days. It is possible if every player collaborates -from the AI online tools that model your preferences like colours, textures, hand-made products, sustainable packaging, to secure delivery all tracked in real-time.
Manufactures require to deliver what the customer asks efficiently, and the best of experience fulfilment ever; it needs faultless conjunction of advanced-data capabilities with edge-maturing manufacturing technologies. Make it a continuous-improved-cyclical process, always learning from up-dated technology and the data generated; digital manufacturers who embrace the benefit of data come closer to adopting a “hyper-personalised on-demand dynamic new reality.” To perform excellence, you will need well-coordinated-synchronised management and a pool of skilled-associates. The old way of doing things would never match with the escalating world of mass customisation.
It has been a roughly-unstable year for manufacturers, as getting along with customers and prospects is more complicated due to the ever-changing market channels. Even though automation has supported several companies to stay productive, recruiting, retaining, and engaging with employees, it is much more complicated now than ever.
In this harsh environment, the need for greater flexibility in all aspects of a manufacturing business has companies rethinking their digital strategy:
· Digital factories are nowadays at the top of management plan - A remarkable per cent of industrial companies are investing in digital factories. However, only a few express their factories as “fully digitised.”
· Digitisation boosts customer-centricity and regional manufacturing. Companies planning digital factories mentioned that regionalisation and a personalised-flexible production enhance proximity to the customer, becoming their primary reason for investment.
· Technologies like Digital Twin, Augmented reality and robots, lead thinner and more valuable operations. Digital Twin (virtual representations of factories,) and Augmented reality solutions assist employees in manufacturing zero-defect merchandises.
· Digital technologies that support workers improve the process and product quality, get more done and faster; they are multiplying rapidly and expect to increase within the next five years.
· Digital industrial companies reinforce “Made in…” - labelling the origin of the manufacturing. Further capital spending in digital factories expects to locate some/all its production in the place of origin over the next five years. In this way, Digitisation is fortifying the competitiveness of regional industrial centres.
· Corporations are looking ahead to get productivity gains within five years. The consolidation of integrated planning, better asset utilisation, lower quality cost, and benefits from automation contributes to significant improvements, expecting a return of investment (ROI) within the next five years.
· It is vital to connect factories internally and externally through MES, an integrated Manufacturing Execution System interconnecting machines and other resources to communicate through standard setups, the first action towards Digitisation.
MES strategy and control production in real-time, boost productivity, manufacturing flexibility and asset utilisation; combined with the ERP infrastructure, makes it possible for organisations, both the internal processes and the entire SC as well.
· Digital factories, empowered through the use of algorithms integrated into Artificial Intelligence (AI,) Predictive Data Analytics and Machine Learning, will help manufacturers to make smarter operation decisions, linking areas inside the factory to the entire company’s ecosystem. It will be “a must” to remain competitive.
· Employing digital manufacturing implies building up a digital work-force. To change, Digital factories require a new way of working and a better workforce, so, they will need to hire and maintain employees accordingly. Data scientists require to obtain smart algorithms to enhance active performing and intelligent man-machine communication, demands for new skill-sets. Digital training programmes, as employing external “Digital Natives” make it sure the accomplishment of building a digital factory up.
Further comments: Companies must rethink their digital strategy to enhance flexibility across manufacturing processes; for a successful digital transformation plan, a company demands top management governance. Now is the time to redesign your operations.
Are you moving from just talking to performing your best on this transformation?
Dave Food